Root in Salem accepting applications for training program

Wednesday

Sep 27, 2017 at 4:04 PM

Root recently announced they are accepting applications for their training program, set to begin Oct. 16 in their newly completed Salem headquarters in Shetland Park.

Root is a social enterprise utilizing food-service as a skills-training and job-placement program for at-risk youth between the ages of 16 and 24. Participants work with professional staff in the Root kitchen, preparing food for the café, harbor-view event space and catering arm. After completing a 12-week course in culinary skills the participants receive certifications in Serve-Safe Food Handling and Food Allergens. They also intern at local restaurants where they hone the skills they have learned in the program. Root then works to place them in a stable, living-wage job and set them on the path to independence.

There are more than 9,000 disconnected youth in Essex County who are not in school or working. Root is seeking young people who want to acquire professional and social skills, along with industry credentials. Each participant will receive a $500 stipend and the chance to begin a new career in hospitality, catering, food preparation and the restaurant industry.

With hundreds of restaurants on the North Shore, many struggle to find skilled, dependable staff.

“We are giving kids the social and restaurant skills they need for jobs that really exist, so they can build a life for themselves,” said Sam Hunt, Root’s chef/instructor.

Root’s social enterprise structure and training program is based on several models located throughout the country, including DC Central Kitchen, FareStart in Seattle and Liberty’s Kitchen in New Orleans. Utilizing the culinary arts as a training tool for at-risk populations, who have significant barriers to employment, is a proven pathway to stable jobs and self-sufficiency.